Three Christmas Songs Chosen by One Japanese Listener— No. 2: “Last Christmas” (Wham!)

The Second Christmas Song That Always Feels Like Christmas

The second piece of music that makes me feel Christmas is “Last Christmas” by Wham!

I can’t clearly remember the exact moment I first heard this song.
But I do remember the feeling that it was already familiar to me — as if I had known it long before I consciously noticed it.

Every December, it plays somewhere in the city.
On the radio, on television, inside record shops, or as background music in department stores.
You don’t have to search for it. It naturally finds its way into your ears.

And yet, it never feels intrusive.
Instead, it has a quiet power that makes you slow down, or stop for just a moment.

A Very Short Interpretation of “Last Christmas”

Last Christmas, I handed my heart over without hesitation.
By the next day, it had already gone cold,
lost its destination, and quietly returned to me.
So this year, in order not to stay in the same place,
and in order not to give my tears a name again,
I want to take a little more time choosing
who I give my heart to next.

“First, please watch the official video.”

✅ Official Video Credit
Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video)
Artist: Wham!
Official YouTube Channel: WHAM! (Verified)
First released on YouTube: October 26, 2009
Note: The song was originally released in 1984
💬 Two-line Description
Released in 1984, this is Wham!’s biggest Christmas hit, portraying the bittersweet memories of a broken heart against a snowy winter backdrop. Played around the world every holiday season, it has become a timeless Christmas classic loved across generations.

A Christmas Song That Doesn’t Celebrate

The more closely you look at the lyrics of “Last Christmas,” the more unusual it feels as a Christmas song.
It doesn’t sing about joyful holidays or happy memories.

From the very beginning, it tells a story of loss — a heart given at Christmas, and taken away almost immediately.

It begins with heartbreak, not celebration.
And the tone is not dramatic or explosive.
It is calm, restrained, and quiet.

There is no anger here. No resentment.
It feels as if the song is simply stating what happened, without judgment.

“So I Won’t Cry Again This Year”

One of the most striking ideas in the song is the decision not to cry again.

The pain of heartbreak is still there, but alongside it appears a small sense of resolve.
Not complete recovery — just the desire not to repeat the same mistake.

That caution, that slightly timid hope, feels deeply human and very real.

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Keeping Distance, Still Drawn In

This part of the song makes it clear that the feelings are not completely over.
Distance is kept, yet the heart is still drawn back.

Wanting to get closer, and wanting to stay away, exist at the same time.
This emotional ambiguity lies at the very core of “Last Christmas.”

A Wrapped “I Love You”

There is something awkward, and slightly painful, in the image of a heart carefully wrapped and sent with a message of love.

Putting feelings into words makes it impossible to turn back.
And the more sincere the love, the deeper the wound can become.

Knowing You’d Be Fooled Again

The closing of the first half is strikingly calm.

It is not bravado, and not blame.
It is simply the quiet acceptance of one’s own weakness.

That honesty is why this song stays with the listener for so long.

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In a Crowded Room

In the second half, the perspective shifts outward.
The scene moves to a crowded room filled with friends and lively energy.

And yet, the narrator doesn’t quite belong there.
Surrounded by people, the heart quietly hides.

This is the loneliness you feel in the middle of a crowd — a feeling that fits the end of the year perfectly.

A Relationship Reconsidered

Looking back, the narrator becomes more analytical.

Was this truly a relationship built on mutual support?
Or was one person simply playing a convenient role?

After a breakup, clarity often arrives late.
Moments of discomfort become clearer than moments of joy.

The song captures that delayed pain without raising its voice.

A Lover Behind a Mask

The former lover is not portrayed as a villain.
There was attraction. There was real passion.

And yet, the heart was deeply hurt.
What remains is not anger, but the pain of trusting despite knowing better.

Not Returning to the Same Place

In the end, a clear decision appears.

The narrator chooses not to return to the same place again.
Not as a triumphant declaration, but as a quiet promise to oneself.

Loss makes future choices more careful.
Perhaps that is what it means to grow a little older.

A Refrain That Changes Meaning

As the song repeats its familiar refrain, its meaning shifts.

What once felt like an open wound becomes something that can be placed in the past.
Events don’t disappear, but the way we carry them changes.

What “Last Christmas” Means to Me, Growing Up in Japan

For me, growing up in Japan, this song is both a love song and a year-end song.

It plays as I look back on the year, remember small regrets, and quietly think, “I’ll try to do a little better next year.”

Not a dramatic resolution. Not a life-changing decision.
Just a modest step forward that fits the winter air.

That is why “Last Christmas” never becomes a song of the past.

It quietly captures the loneliness we feel in crowds,
and turns it into something we can live with.